There are many ways in which to study the brain. The physiological approach is to study the parts of the brain and their functions. There are many resources for studying this -- look for good books with large color pictures and good labels. The Dorling-Kindersling/Eye Witness books are good for this.

Another approach to teaching about the brain (or in addition to the physiological aspect) is the psychological approach. Here you would study about behaviors, child development, sleep, dreams and many other areas. We used a good college Psychology textbook and went through exploring areas in which we were interested.

There are also wonderful sites on line that can help you teach your whole unit! Some of them are listed here, and you can search for others by entering "Brain" or "Brain Anatomy" into your Search engine.
 

Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World This site teaches the various parts of the brain and how they are related to interacting with the world. Very good photos and explanations.	Blast Off to Explore the Brain Details the different parts of the brain and how they function. It also gives a brief description of some diseases of the brain as well as whether or not  intelligence is related to the brain.
Neuroscience for Kids Excellent resources and illustrations and graphics.	Brain Lesson Plans More brain lesson plans.
Brain games and activities	Brain and thought activities

Once you have finished learning about the brain and how it works, see how much has really been absorbed about the brain! Have your child design a project that will show that he or she understand the functions of different parts of the brain. Here are the instructions that I gave:
 

Write down your proposal of your project: Include: a description of your project materials you will need what you intend to show Make a plan – outline – script – or whatever is appropriate for your project. Begin your work. Complete your project during the times allocated. Present your project to the family.

 

The two projects that my children did were:
 

A model of a city made with balsa wood (available in craft stores) with different parts of the city representing different parts of the brain. For instance, the library represented one portion. This was then presented to the family. It was excellent and showed full understanding! Much more fun than memorization!

A video of a tour of the brain. We used poster paper to cover the walls of a room and then representations of various areas of the brain. My son did the tour and explained where he was and what that part of the brain did while we videotaped him. Again, showed great mastery!

Other fun projects related to the brain:
 
 
 

Memory Write down two or three events each and every day for the next two months (we may continue this longer). One of these events should be an event or action that you think will stand out in your memory. The other can be less important. Be sure to date these events and provide just enough details (who, what, why, where, when, how) to make them distinctive. We will check these in two months. Don’t refer back to them during this time.

Dreams Keep a notebook by your bed. When you awaken in the morning (or if you awaken at night), jot down dream details that you remember. Only jot down what you remember – don’t add details that may not have been in the dream.

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